And the nominees for the World Soundtrack Awards are...

Every year in Ghent, the World Soundtrack Awards (WSA) are presented by the World Soundtrack Academy. The Academy, which was founded in 2001 by the Flanders International Film Festival - Ghent and a number of film music composers, now encompasses over 200 leading composers. The stated goal of the Academy is to promote music in film, and it is achieving this with ever greater success, as can be seen by the growing (international) interest and recognition being given to film music. The three principal categories are Soundtrack Composer of the Year, Best Original Soundtrack of the Year - Orchestral and Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film. In addition to this, at a later time, the Academy will also select the Discovery of the Year 2005. In addition to the Awards presented by the Academy, the public around the world can vote for their choice of the best soundtrack for 2005 (see www.worldsoundtrackawards.com). The nominees for the Soundtrack Composer of the Year are Howard Shore (The Aviator), Thomas Newman (Lemony Snicket), John Williams (War of the Worlds), John Powell (The Bourne Supremacy) and Angelo Badalamenti (Un Long Dimanche de Fiançailles). The works selected for the Best Original Soundtrack of the Year - Orchestral category are The Aviator (by Howard Shore), The Bourne Supremacy (by John Powell), Batman Begins (by Hans Zimmer/James Newton Howard), War of the Worlds (by John Williams) and Mar Adentro (by Alejandro Amenábar). The candidates for Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film are: "Al Otro Lado del Rio" from The Motorcycle Diaries, "Believe" from The Polar Express, "Old Habits Die Hard" from Alfie, "Learn to be Lonely" from The Phantom of the Opera and "Million Voices" from Hotel Rwanda. The following pages contain an overview of the categories and the nominees. The laureates will be made known on October 15 in Ghent during a short ceremony. For the 5th edition of the WSA evening, Oscar winner Rachel Portman (for Emma) will join Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Elvis Presley's legendary composers and songwriters, as guests of honour. Belgium's very own Raymond van het Groenewoud will also be present, ensuring musical fireworks. Last but not least, Gustavo Santaolalla, the 2004 WSA Discovery for 21 Grams, will be making a live performance. Tickets can be purchased by www.teleticketservice.be. Admission prices are € 32 or € 40 (+€ 2 booking fee). Seats are limited.